Sir Gwaine's Lesson: A Narrative Fiction

After a space of tranquility the wind would move the snow again. Continuing this pattern of incoherence.

The castle grounds are an unusual contrast to the surrounding winter landscape, and this is the first of many unusual characteristics that the mysterious castle has. The castle grounds are described as: “fair and green, in a goodly park with a palisade of palings planted about for two miles and more, round many a fair tree” (Norton, 312). The description of a castle surrounded by lush fauna in the middle of winter is anything but normal. Sir Gawain rides to the great castle and is quickly greeted by a porter. He asks the porter to tell the lord he seeks harbor, and he is soon granted permission to enter the castle. Gawain is royally greeted by the castle’s inhabitants; however, the treatment he receives from the attendants and knights is most unusual because no one knows who Sir Gawain is (or at least they shouldn’t; however, they seem to know that Gawain is a great knight). The lord of the castle soon comes to greet Gawain. Gawain is then taken to a luxurious room where he is undressed, given new clothing, and eats a magnificent dinner while warming by a fire. The following day Gawain identifies himself to the lord and his court. The people laugh and are in high spirits. They seem as if they already know who Gawain is, and know the purpose of his visit. The castle’s inhabitants describe Gawain as “the father of fine manners” (Norton, 315), and he seems to be highly regarded by all of the people of this strange stronghold.

"Empty as the man 's mind was of thoughts, he was keenly observant, and he noticed changes in the creeks, the curves and bends and timbre jams, and always he sharply noted where he placed his feet. Here, the man is learning from his prior mistakes and letting himself be led by the cold, earlier when he was thinking of his goal and not of his feet, he found himself with freezing toes. Now, after time in the Yukon, he has found a respect for the cold. Although, this respect is not enough to drive him to the next campsite, London is unforgiving of the man 's original eubrice in taking on the cold, and does not seem to want to allow him to succeed.

Nothing is known about the author who wrote the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Yet it is considered one of the greatest works from the Middle English era. It tells a tale of a mysterious and magical figure (The Green Knight) who presents a challenge to the pride and wealth of Arthur's kingdom. Sir Gawain accepts the challenge. However, the real test of the Green Knight isn't about strength or swordsmanship. It's a test of character.

brutal winter. “Many mornings he had waked to find a coating of white on the cabin roof. Today

In the poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," Gawain is a guest at Hautdesert Castle. During his stay at the castle, three separate hunts take place. These hunts also parallel temptations aimed at Gawain by the wife of the Lord of Hautdesert Castle. In each hunt scene, a characteristic of the prey of that hunt is personified in Gawain's defense against the advances of the King’s wife.

“We need you to be safe at the moment, get some rest. Besides, you need those frostbit blotches on your face checked on.” It took Turner an immense amount of strength to even stand. He knew they were correct.

This poem describes how King Arthur’s nephew, Gawain, grapples with his pride when the Green Knight insulted the court and the King. He identifies himself as a relative of King Arthur and takes any insult towards the King as an insult directed towards himself. This portrays that Gawain identifies himself as a proud knight in King Arthur’s court and a family member. As a participant in these two communities, many of Gawain’s actions are based off his experiences and values that both of these communities encompass and hold dear. But in regards to

He says, “I am weakest of your warriors and feeblest of wit; loss of my life would be least lamented” (“Sir Gawain” 354-355). When he says this, it just shows that he is not very positive about himself and that it will be okay if he loses his life because he is not very special and not many people will even notice that he is gone. He already thinks that the only reason he is considered one of Arthur’s knights is because he is his nephew. By accepting this challenge, he already shows signs of maturing. Gawain is showing his bravery and how noble he is. This shows that he is not prideful at all. Sir Gawain being the only knight to step up and show how courageous he is already proves that he is the greatest knight that King Arthur has. By volunteering to take Arthur’s place, this could help Gawain that he is good enough and that he could establish a good name for himself. When it is finally time for Gawain to leave on his journey, all of the knights approach him to send him on his way. Gawain shows his true boldness when he tells the knights, “Why should I shy away. If fate is kind. Or cruel, man still must try” (563-565). This shows that Gawain is not scared to face his fate. He believes that

“Gwaine? You understand we are not spending a lot of money here, right? Remember what we talked about at home? We have to stay within our budget.”

“The other protagonist, the Sir Gawain of our poem, is correspondingly related to a traditional Gawain who (Miss Weston tells us) did not originally belong among Arthur's Knights any more than does the Green Knight. Gawain's traditional role (she convincingly establishes) was that of the hero, the agent who brought back the spring, restored the frozen life-processes, revived the god--or (in later versions) cured the king” (Speirs 4). The dynamic, antagonist is the Green Knight, who is the mysterious, supernatural creature of the story and later we learn is actually Sir Bertilak. “With a similar counter-romance effect, piety, elegance, and courtesy set the tone at Bercilak's halls; the magic antagonist and his retinue offer the stranger warm hospitality and display exemplary courtly behavior” (Bercovitch 4).

Guinevere slapped his shoulder in jest. “No, Arthur! I don’t want to risk anyone finding out.”

A thin layer of ice crackled and chipped away as the doorway was made for Marcus to pass through. The snow on the ground had not melted. Instead, it seemed to have become more plentiful. The crunch of fresh snow hit her ears and she was sure he was in the tent now. Placing the incense burner back on the table she turned to the king.

As much as they loved winter in all its pleasure, they didn’t spend their recesses crafting snow forts or tossing snowballs. 42 of them in particular had something else on their minds, and it had nothing to do with the holidays or the New Year...

Gawain doesn’t go straight back to Camelot. Later he’ll say he did, but it’s a lie. It’s midwinter and sleeting, sharp bits of ice pelting against stone walls and glass windows. The fire in his chambers is warm, but Gawain is still so cold.